Pneumatic piano-player.



H. P. BALLOU.

PNEUMATIC PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION men 1mm. 191a.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

MMM

Wvmesses;

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTC-LITHO. WASHINGTON. D C.

HOLDEN P. BA LomonHhRTFo tn,conimorioirri,assrenon-To'wAL'rni s; soiitmz;f1' i TRUSTEE; or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

fritnim'ar'ic rrANoiPL-AYER To all'whom it'may concern: g

Be it known that I, HOLDEN PLB LLOU; a citizen of, the United States; residing {at l Hartford, ,in' the county of "Hartford and" i s ec'ificati a of madam; Patented Apr.f;27,'

1 tracker-as 5, which "after theusual fashionisj perforated. F rom'the trackerto' the respectivefauxiliaryf chambers 5 the .ducts i6 extend uninterruptedly, so that afterfthe i I customary manner each" auxiliary chamber 4,

5 State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful'Improvements'inPneumatic is connected byja ductor tube 6, 'withahole, -iiano-Players, of which the followingvi'sv a sloti'orpertoration inthe tracker 5, by virspecification. f I L tue of which when one-of these holes 'orper- .This invention relates to pneumatic-pianoforationsis uncovered by the music sheet, y g 10 players, among the principal, objectsofthe atmospheric air passing thr'oughsaid 'hole,' 65 invention being the simplification in conenters the duct'6 leading therefrom and intof struction of the action itself and the accessi the cooperating auxiliary chamber 4"to e1";

bility of the bleeds associated with the feet in the usual wayoryotherwise' actionof j H secondary chambers-corequi alent parts' -of the 'approprlate pneumatic." f v i the-apparatus 1 a f 'j The 'pneumatics are denoted by ,7 and as '70 Y'In the drawings accompanying and"formrepresented are of 1 bellows type and "as ing part of the present specificationsl vhave suitably fastened to the underside of" the 7 shown in detail 'oneo'f' the several-ad anfcliest'2. Said chest haslcha'nnelsjor'passages.v, tageous' forms of embodiment'ofthe inven- 8,"therebein'g one of each forthelpn'eumatics Y "tion which to enablethose skilled inthe art 7 andauxiliary'chambers 4afDucts such as, 75

- 'to practice the same wi'll be-fu lly set forth, tubes 9 of metal' or other suitable materiahw f in the followingidescription, *Ima depart, extend from the. respective channels- 8 to from-this showingin several respects'withthe j respective pneumatics 7. Each; oflthe in the scope of the inventiondefined by my Channels 8 is connectedflwith the main' claims. vacuumcham'ber 3,by a'port'l0 governed 80 Referring to said drawings; aFigureIis by'a 'vfalve as 1 1 fastened toafrod or stem a cross sectional View of a piano playeriinasfl guidedby flanges as,.13 fastened to afvolvingmy invention,=and,-Fig.-2isa front 'cleatflt-united with*the roof of the main elevation" of one endofthesamep Y Y "chamber 3.- The ste'm's of the Valvespr'oject Like characters refer toylike parts in both" through theitespective ports '10, through thej85- i figures channels or passages Sand alsothrough I A pneumatic playerfaction' comprisesQa ports orlopenings' l5 extendingfrom there chest as 2 and certainaccessorieshereinafter [spective pnts sages,8, being provided gwith more particularly described. In the: actions diaphragms margin-ally fastenedaround the c i or h t f m tic pianotplayers; i ishas Jo'pen undersidesiof' the respective auxiliary' eo been the general custom heretofore to prochambers 1 1 i wide a numberf-offmain'yacuum chambers Itiwill be" supposed that an opening' m and a corresponding number of auxiliary {thetra'cker ,5 is -uncoyered by the music vacuum chambers," each auxiliary chamber sheet inwhich event atmospheric 'airpasses I 1 40 cotiperating with a main;chamber. "Thisis through said opening' intothe appropriate complex. I simplify? labe -construction by duct or tube '6 coiip'eratiye' therewith and providing several "auxiliary chambers in into theauxiliarychamber into which said' a number at leastfe' qualing the notesf'tojbe 'duct-opens,'thus forcingZthecorresponding' 1 Q played,but only provide onefinain chamber, 'diaphragmlG downward, opening thevalve this main chamber being commonto all the 11 associated therewith and putting" the 0 j auxiliary chamberswhichsare used-"in the main chamber 3'into communication with r playing of the keys, and-amain chamber the coiiperating'pneumatic 7 byway of a such as meets the desired conditions, isthat channel 8 and duct or. tube 9 to thusoperate] I v denoted by '8 being approximately coextensaid pneumatic and hence the key connected sive with the chest 2., The auxiliary cham therewith. In practice themain chamber 3 1 05 ,bers are denoted by 1,1 andlthe'y may be rewill be Q connected "with a suitableyacuum lated with the main chamberfin any de "prodl'icing device, such as a pump (not I sirable Way, although they are illustrated as shown), a ti n pip 7 a mg mi d f situated above the same. The auxiliary main chamber 3'to the pump. a y chambers ope ate in connection witha The che t 2 has in addltl n t9 t e ex aust' lll or vacuum chambers already described, a

' bleed exhaust chamber 20 which as illus trated is located at the'front and near the upper .side and although this particular disposition is not essential it ishighly advantageous in thatit provides for the ready accessibility of the bleed openings hereinafter described. It is usual in a pneumatic player, to provide bleeds. as theyare known, the function of'which is to positively cause suction to maintain the valves 11 closed by acting on the diaphragms of These bleeds have been ordinarily quite inconvenient to reach,'

the respective valves.

being inclosed within the action so that to ,get at: themit is necessary to'dismount cerchamber 20 may be exhausted in any desirable way; for this purpose I have shown the pipe 21 which connects said bleed exhaust or vacuum chamber 20 withthe main vacuum or exhaust chamber 3. From the auxiliary, chambers 41, the passages 22 ex tend, ,thediaphragm valves 23 being situated at the upper ends of said passages and being Y cooperative with coupling chambers 24 which loonstitute the, subject matter of my application Serial-iNo. 679,841 filed February 26, 1912. Connecting thesefpassages 22 with the bleed exhaust or vacuum chamber 22 are theducts 25 which as shown, consist of nipples or short tubes the outer .ends of which project into said-chamber 20. The roundedforward ends of said tubes 25 have small perforations or holes 26which are the bleed openingasaid bleed openings or holes being horizontally alined so that when necessary they can be readily cleaned of accumulations of dirt and like particles by merely sweeping across them with a brush. 'As isthe case with other constructions the bleed openings are smaller than theopenings in the tracker. i

be interposed between the door present construction the tubes from the tracker are contlnuous or unbroken. -The,

The bleed chamber has a door or flap 27 which as illustrated is hinged along its underedgeQ-by a flexible hinge,-.such as of leather 28, "to the chest 2 immediately below said chamber, said door being opened by a particular relationis not always necessary.

Said door has in'its upper edge'anotch or slot 29ythrough which the stud 30 on the downward, 1 forward swing although this i chest 2 extends, said studbeing threaded to receive the holding nut 31 which when set securely holds said door in a. closed position to properly maintainthe vacuum in said chamber 20. To open- -theldoor the nut is loosened and the door thenslightly lowered to carry it clear of said nut, andthen swung forward and down, to thereby; reach said bleed openings 26. There may ifnecessary,

some suitable packing. 7

What I claim is: a

and the chest,

1. A vacuum chest having a vacuum bleed 7 Chamber directly therein, bleed openings ex ter'being open on one side, an air-tight closurefor the bleed chamber, and means for holding the closure in place. I

2. A vacuum chest having a vacuum bleed chamber directly therein, bleed openings ex- 8. A vacuum chest having pneumatics,

iary chambers, and diaphragms associated tending into said vacuum chamber, the .latr terbeingopenon one side, an airtight 010-. I sure for the bleed chamber, and meansfor removably holding said closure in place.

ing an 1;exteriorly accessible bleed chamber L directly therein, andnipples communicating. I

with the respective auxiliary chambers, ex-

tending into said bleed chamber, the for ward endsiof said nipples having bleed openings. i

in presence of; two witnesses. HOLDEN BALLOU.

Witnesses: I i F. E. A vnnnson,

HEATH SUrr ERLaND. f

Copies of this patent inay be obtained for five cents each, byaddre ssin the (Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 1

In testimony whereof I my signature s5 7 means embodying auxiliary chambers, a a tracker in communication with said auX1l 

